


Gone, but not forgotten: Nanao

by rilina



Series: Gone, but not forgotten [2]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-22
Updated: 2008-06-22
Packaged: 2017-10-03 06:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rilina/pseuds/rilina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone in Soul Society has forgotten the Vizards. Second in a series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gone, but not forgotten: Nanao

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the Pendulum arc.

Unlike Hisagi, Nanao doesn't wonder what her predecessor as lieutenant might have been like. She knows. And long before this present crisis made everyone re-evaluate what he or she understood of past events, Nanao had already been certain there was more to Lieutenant Yadoumaru's death than she was being told. For that reason, it's been her secret work for the past century to piece together the answers that Captain Kyouraku and others in Soul Society's upper echelons were never willing to give her.

From the beginning, it was evident that there was more to that tragic mission than anyone was saying. The alarms had rung in the Seireitei three times in as many days without explanations, and Captain Kyouraku had chosen his words too carefully when he told her that Lieutenant Yadoumaru had been "lost." Later, when order had been restored, he'd showed a strange resistance toward appointing a new lieutenant. Even when other divisions began to lure away his best officers, who had all despaired at ever advancing within the eighth, his adjutant's position remained empty.

But Nanao hadn't left, of course. Instead she grew up in the division, always watching and listening for the snippets of the truth. She learned to fight hollows well enough to become a seated officer; then she tucked her sword into her sleeve and showed she could fight with different weapons as well, like kidou, intelligence, and common sense. And as soon as she began to be chosen for other tasks, especially administrative ones, Nanao had begun to dig. Errands to the various Gotei 13 archives became opportunities to sneak peeks at classified documents; visits to other divisions gave her the chance to overhear precious gossip. About Lieutenant Yadoumaru, the other lost lieutenants and captains, and their ill-fated mission. About Urahara Kisuke's exile and Shihouin Yoruichi's flight. And the curious timing of all three events and the secrecy surrounding them.

Yet having made herself indispensable in order to pursue her investigation, she was still surprised when Captain Kyouraku finally offered to make her his lieutenant.

"I am honored by your notice, sir, but--"

"There's no need to decide at once, Nanao-chan. Take some time to think it over."

She wanted to ask why he'd reversed his policy of decades, but she didn't dare. She was too afraid she already knew the reason; after all, she saw the echoes of her mentor's face in her own everyday in the mirror. So instead she said, "I shall consider it seriously, sir."

"Very well," he said easily, as if they'd been discussing the day's mail instead. "But if you say no, I will ask you again." And for once, he had not been teasing.

She had never wanted to be Lieutenant Yadoumaru's replacement. How could she be? They were too different in personality and skills, despite their resemblance. But Nanao also knew the position would get her that much closer to the answers she sought. And on the day she finally accepted the appointment, she combed her hair out of its braid, pulled it back into a severe twist, and wore it that way every day thereafter.

* * *

Now, in the days following the ryokas' return to the living world, life in the Gotei 13 has finally regained some semblance of its usual order. Only a few things betray the chaos that the renegade captains have left behind: the constant clatter of construction and repairs, the mountains of extra paperwork, and the daily captains' meetings. Captain Kyouraku shares little of what's discussed there, but his strangely sober demeanor tells her more than anything else.

Nanao is working on some of her extra paperwork--and wishing she'd had the chance to observe Shihouin Yoruichi before her departure--when Captain Kyouraku drifts into her office following one of those meetings. "My lovely Nanao-chan, you are hard at work as always!"

"That's because you volunteered to oversee the third division pending Lieutenant Kira's return to duty, sir."

"Only because you are so capable! But Nanao-chan, I have a new task for you. Captain Ukitake has been ordered to direct the investigation of the great spirit library. I've offered your assistance to Ukitake, given your expertise with records and his lack of a lieutenant."

It's the opportunity she's wanted for a hundred years, and she doesn't bother to pretend to be disgruntled. "I'll consult with Captain Ukitake immediately, sir."

"That's not your primary mission."

"Captain?"

"I want you to gather as much information as possible regarding the trial of Urahara Kisuke by the Central 46 a hundred years ago, and _all_ of the circumstances regarding his exile and escape."

Nanao doesn't need to ask him if this is about what happened to Lieutenant Yadoumaru. Instead she just says, "Is Captain Ukitake aware of my other assignment?"

Kyouraku smiles.

"And may I report what I've already found?"

"You've already been looking?"

She reaches for the book that she always carries close to her heart and unweaves the kidou protecting its contents. She flips to the back pages and begins to read. "Fact: Lieutenant Yadoumaru's records in the eighth division are marked 'killed in action,' but an order to the secret mobile corps describes her and the other shinigami on that mission as fugitives 'scheduled for disposal.' Fact: Urahara Kisuke was exiled for conducting forbidden experiments, and Shihouin Yoruichi became a fugitive after aiding his escape. Yet Shihouin Yoruichi showed herself to be an ally of Soul Society during recent events. Fact: Aizen Sousuke became a captain following the mission that led to the supposed death of his own captain and Lieutenant Yadoumaru. Fact: Aizen Sousuke has allied himself with hollows. Fact: --"

Her captain is staring at her as if he's never really seen her before. "Skip to your conclusion."

"I am not convinced Lieutenant Yadoumaru is dead."

"They told me Lisa was turned into a hollow."

She catches her breath. "But that's--"

"Impossible? Not for the creator of the Hougyoku. And perhaps, not for the man who stole it. I'd like to know who to blame, and so, it seems, would you. Go on. Ukitake's waiting for you at the library. If there's an answer in all of Soul Society, it's in those records."

"Sir!"

"And Nanao, I think Lisa would be very proud of all you've found." He closes her book and puts it back in her hands. "But not as proud as I am."

She tucks her book under her arm and prepares to leave. But before she goes, she blurts out the question that's troubled her for years. "Why did you ask me to be your lieutenant, sir?"

"For the same reason I chose Lisa," he says, as if it's the most simple question in the world. "Because you were the only shinigami I'd met in fifty years who was remotely good enough."

* * *

Her shunpo carries her across the city faster than it ever has before. Ukitake's standing before the sealed gates. "Ah, Ise-kun, I hope Shunsui didn't rush you too much. Would you like a moment to catch your breath?"

She shakes her head as she gasps for air.

Ukitake takes a few minutes to unseal the gates anyway; when the doors finally swing back, the two shinigami pause at the threshhold, allowing their eyes to adjust to the dim light. The air inside the chamber is stale and filled with dust; there's no sign at all that the records within have ever been touched.

"You already know what we're seeking," Ukitake tells her. "Records that have been accessed or otherwise disturbed, especially in the time frame when we believe Aizen to have been active here. Proceed carefully. It's impossible to know what traps may have been left behind."

His hand rests on the hilt of his zanpakuto as he enters the library. Behind him, Nanao holds her book close and takes a deep breath before stepping forward into the unknown.


End file.
